Alexandreena Dixon, Class of 1974
Named Recipient of First Founder’s Award

Alexandreena Dixon is the recipient of the Frank Logue Founder’s Award. The Vision to ActionAward, the first bestowed to a National Urban Fellows Alumnus, was presented on July 28, 2011. The Award was named in honor of Frank Logue’s leadership and enduring capacity to turnvision into action by establishing a public service program or organization.

Alexandreena, an Alumna of the class of 1974, personifies the spirit of Frank Logue.  For over eight years her leadership and creativity have developed and sustained something bigger than herself - a community organization that enriches and uplifts the lives of individuals who live in one of the poorest communities in New York.  It is there where her leadership impact has changed helplessness into hopefulness and empowered young and old alike.

With initiative, hope, faith, true grit and the capacity to take her vision into action, in 2003 Alexandreena founded Chiku Awali African Dance Company of Rockland, Inc.  A nonprofit organization, the Chiku Awali African Dance Company brings the art of African dance, drumming, storytelling and mask-making to the county of Rockland, New York. In Swahili and Ibo the Company name, Chiku Awali, means “the joy of a new adventure.”  It is the first cultural arts organization of its kind established in Rockland County, allowing the community to observe and share cultural experiences that promote diversity and tolerance.

The organization offers a safe and interactive haven for everyone to learn about the rich and royal African heritage.  Through its programs, students of Chiku Awali are taught discipline, leadership, self-efficacy, teamwork skills and acquire self-confidence and a sense of pride in their capabilities and learn.

Alexandreena’s greatest joy is in reaching young African American boys, one of the most vulnerable, at-risk groups in our society. Her proudest legacy will be her fight against gang violence and juvenile delinquency, and decreasing the prison population and increasing the college bound population. The Chiku Awali Rites of Passage for Young Men gives participants positive alternatives and opportunities to bond with male role models, who help them develop life skills that lead to a productive adulthood, while joining with networks where they can contribute to their communities.

The program takes young adolescent males on a year-long journey of self-fulfillment through monthly workshops that improve self-esteem and empower the young men to seek greatness. The male elders from the community lead these sessions, thereby creating the proverbial village that encourages people to take responsibility for helping their neighbors and their children. A Chiku Awali Rites of Passage for Young Women will begin in September 2011.

Over the years, Ms. Dixon raised more than $107,000 in grants. These funds allow income eligible families to participate in the programs free of charge or at a reduced rate. Chiku Awali has sponsored two cultural exchange tours to Africa taking 46 members of the community to the motherland. In the past eight years, members of Chiku Awali have performed for more than 200 audiences.

Ms. Dixon is a 1967 graduate of Upsala College with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She has a Master of Arts in Urban Studies from Occidental College, 1974, and a Master in Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 1984.